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First-Person Stories

News, ideas, and musings from the allergy world and beyond.

Please scroll down to view past entries.

July 29, 2010

I have a 14 year old teenager at home. Enough said.

Next time, my son and I will practice this together. I am sure it will bond us... hopefully (keeping my fingers crossed).

July 27, 2010

First, I stumbled upon this fact: Austrian Pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet first used the word 'allergy' in 1906. Did you know the word comes from the Greek word 'alol', meaning, 'change in the original state'? Anyway, that led to more interesting historical facts about allergy I share with you below:

1819 – Dr. John Bostock first accurately described hay fever as a disease that affected the upper respiratory tract.
1869 – To investigate his own hay fever, Charles Blakely performed the first skin test by applying pollen through a small break in his skin. His experiment introduced the concept that pollen sensitivity caused hay fever.
1902 – Charles Richet and Paul Portier invented the word 'anaphylaxis' when in the course of other immunization research they discovered this life threatening response to medications and protein substances.
1911-1914 – The work of Leonard Noon and John Freeman helped established the basis for immunotherapy or allergy shots.
1937 – Daniel Bovet synthesized the first antihistamine drug.
1948 – Philip Hench and Edward Kendall discovered and introduced corticosteroids into clinical medicine.
1953 – Researchers James F. Riley and Geoffrey B. West discovered the mast cell granule to be the major source of histamine in the body.
1967 – Kimishige and Teruko Ishizaka further explained the allergy process by discovering the role of IgE class antibodies as the principal mediator in the allergic reaction.
1980's – In the early 1980s Professor Bengt I Sameulsson received the Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for identifying leukotrienes as the elusive 'slowing reacting substance of anaphylaxis'

I realize knowing these facts does nothing to relieve your allergy misery but hey, don't you feel smarter?

Source: Auckland Allergy Clinic

July 25, 2010

Investigating if a certain belief is a myth or not is fascinating and important. Views vary as usual. Regardless, it's good to examine what we think we know and believe and then be open to change, isn't it? So, here are 10 common allergy myths for us to investigate:

1. Adults do not develop allergies
2. If you develop allergies as a child you will out grow them
3. If I am allergic, my children will be also
4. If I eat honey, I won’t get seasonal allergies
5. Any symptom developed after eating a food is an allergic reaction
6. Peanuts are the most common food allergy in children
7. Relocation to another state or country will cure my allergies
8. It is safe to eat a food you are allergic to occasionally, if small amounts don’t trigger a reaction
9. Some foods only cause an allergic reaction when eaten raw
10. Some pets are non-allergic

Find out if each statement above is true or false or partially both here.

July 22, 2010

Here is another yoga pose that would help alleviate allergy symptoms and leave you feeling more relaxed and lighter. It's called 'Half Moon Pose' and it facilitates ease of breathing by opening the lungs and ribcage.

July 20, 2010

I am more of a sit-down meditation kind of person. So, despite knowing how beneficial yoga is for the health of body and mind, I haven't practiced it regularly. But I recently learned about yoga poses that are especially great for relieving allergy symptoms. Now we are talking! Here is one such pose called 'Warrior 1 Pose' that helps chest and lungs to open and gravity to drain all that mucus that's causing your stuffiness. Hope this helps you fight off those invading symptoms!

July 18, 2010

Garlic is good. Many of us know of garlic's antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. But these health benefits are most potent when we eat garlic raw. Hmm... are you having second thoughts? I know, it's not easy to do. Well, here are a couple of ways you could try to make raw garlic-eating more palatable: Chop it fine, mix it with food, and eat it with a meal, or cut a clove into chunks and swallow them whole like pills. Could work, right? If you are still hesitating, remember these good things raw garlic does for you:

Improves overall cholesterol levels
Lowers blood pressure and decreases clot formation, thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack
Combats respiratory infections
Minimizes symptoms of common colds, including sore throats
Reduces fungal or yeast infections

Source: Andrew Weil, M.D.

July 15, 2010

Applying acupressure on various areas of your body is an effective, quick way to relieve certain discomforts. The technique for different types of headache such as sinus pain, I found, is especially helpful. Here are additional demonstrations for other common ailments.

July 13, 2010

What do you do when you are about to sneeze or cough? Do you cover your mouth with your hands or a tissue, use inside of your elbow or just spray germs into the air and let them land wherever they may? Why do you ask, you might wonder.... Well, we who have allergies do sneeze and cough way more than non-allergy sufferers, right? And as an allergy sufferer, I tend to notice more when people sneeze or cough in public places (perhaps an automatic sympathy response). Hence, I found the following study relevant and interesting.

Medical students over two weeks secretly watched hundreds of people cough or sneeze at a train station, a shopping mall and a hospital in New Zealand. What they saw wasn't pretty. Their findings are listed below:

Three of every four people tried to cover their cough or sneeze, in at least a token attempt to prevent germs from flying through the air.
Most people — about two of three — used their hands to do cover sneeze and cough.
1 in 77 did 'the Dracula' where people sneeze into their elbow.
Only about 1 in 30 used a tissue or handkerchief.
Several times they saw people spit on the floor, including at the hospital. Now, that is ewww.

My own observation concurs with most of what the researchers have discovered. And this information should prompt us to consciously make a habit of responding to sneezes and coughs in a sanitary manner. Mind you, I was guilty of using hands when a tissue was not available nearby but now sneezing into my elbow has become a habit, which, in fact, is the best way. So let's remember 'the Dracula' move....

July 11, 2010

While reading an article on controlling pain with alternative methods, I found it intriguing to discover the effect video games have on our brain in relation to pain. I do have serious reservations about benefits of playing a lot of video games, either for mental or physical health. Much of this view is shaped by not only scientific researches but also as a mother whose 14 year old perhaps enjoys video games too much like many other teenage boys. In fact, he wants to become a computer animator. I suppose moderation of playing time is the key as well as the content of the video games. So how does video games help with controlling pain?

Video games presented in a virtual reality format have potential helping children feel less pain while being stuck with an intravenous needle. In a research, some children wore a helmet that covered their head and showed an engaging game while a control group of kids went through standard care. All children were blocked from seeing their arms. The control group had a fourfold increase in pain intensity compared with the children who watched the video games.

Jeffrey Gold, director of the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, presented the study at the American Pain Society's annual scientific conference last year and says there may be more at work than a significant distraction. Gold is now conducting a study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that uses functional MRIs to test the effects of virtual reality on the brain.

"Virtual reality is not a panacea — you're going to have to practice this and create new patterns in the brain," Gold says. "If you're able to train a person over several sessions, you may change the neurochemistry, and that's going to have a more permanent effect on the brain's ability to modulate pain."

Hmm, but I am not sure if I want to share this information with my son. Next time he is playing a video game beyond the allotted time, he just might say, "But mom, I am trying to reduce the pain I feel!" It could be hard to argue with that.

Source: L.A. Times

July 08, 2010

I am pretty sure we all want to be happy. How each one of us define and interpret 'being happy' is highly individualistic and subjective although there are attempts to objectively describe happiness. And it's fascinating to listen to what other people have to say about happiness. So here is Sam Harris, author and neuroscientist, sharing his views on the key component to happiness, namely, the absence of neuroses and what he perceives as obstacles to experiencing happiness.

My view is that it's usually wise to consider something from many, various perspectives. That said, what you get out of this is totally up to you. It's food for thought. And that's a good thing because our mind needs nutrients to grow and expand.

July 05, 2010

Summer is the season to be outdoors as often as possible engaged in all kinds of fun activities. But as I found out after spending about 8 hours in Nature in one day, there are small prices to pay. That is, itching, runny nose, skin rash from coming in contact with bugs and various vegetations. So, the following tips from the respected holistic doctor, Andrew Weil, was a welcome addition to my list of things to remember and do to enjoy this time to the fullest.

Natural Summer Medicine Chest

Ginger: This may prevent motion sickness or other nausea.
Stinging Nettles: By far the best remedy I know for hay fever.
Arnica: The tincture of this plant can help relieve the pain and tenderness of sprains and sore muscles.
Bromelain: Promotes the healing of soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains and bruises.
Geraniol: Products made with this oil are an effective way to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
Tecnu: Helps prevent rashes from poison oak, ivy, and sumac.
Aloe Vera: For sunburn, thermal burns and any areas of skin irritation or inflammation.

July 01, 2010

Bob Ellal is gutsy, unflinchingly honest, and has a sharp wit. I got to know, through his remarkable writing, Bob's hard struggle with cancer and his triumph over it -- clear since 1996. Bob has written a book that chronicled his six-year, ultimately successful battle with cancer entitled BY THESE THINGS MEN LIVE: Chronicles of a Four-Time Cancer Survivor. It demonstrates how he used qigong practice to finally beat the disease. Also he shares valuable tips on dealing with cancer here.

Bob's other provocative, poignant short stories, I believe, will do many things to you -- laugh, cry, disturbed, inspired -- except leave you bored. Below is one such story:

My Brush with Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ appears in my mind during a meditation exercise—and I survive cancer. Was it real or just my subconscious?

In 1991 I was diagnosed with Stage Four bone lymphoma and given six months to live. My oncologist proposed a six-month regimen of double doses of CHOP chemotherapy, twice as much normally given for a man my weight. I started meditating and visualizing several times a day to help my immune system fight the disease. I imagined my bones a sandy beach covered with weak jellyfish eggs–cancer cells. When the waves came in and covered the beach, they would remove these weak cells as they receded. I timed this with my breathing, and did it religiously for the six months of my treatment.

Finally, at the end of six months of chemo, I went for various nuclear medicine tests to determine the state of the cancer. The radiologists determined the chemo had killed 90%–but 10% was still alive. My oncologist was at a loss–she couldn’t give me any more chemo without killing me. I heard this news, felt despondent, but proceeded with my visualization anyway–waves coming in on the beach, etc. Suddenly a figure appeared on the beach–this was the first time such a thing had happened in six months. It was the figure of Jesus Christ, who bent down with a rag and wiped the beach clear of jelly fish eggs. Then he stood up and tossed the rag to me. This occurrence jerked me out of my meditation, bolt upright. Fifteen minutes later my oncologist called and said the radiologists re-interpreted my tests and determined that the cancer was completely gone!

I haven’t been a Christian since the age of 12; an agnostic at best. My secular humanist psychologist gave me the interpretation I anticipated: Jesus is an archetype of the healer in the Western world, and my subconscious drummed up his image. However, the coincidence of the oncologist’s call, telling me I was cancer-free, haunts me.

The cancer came back three times in the next five years and I survived by practicing internal energy exercises, meditation and visualization. The figure of Jesus never reoccurred in my mind. Through a virtually special forces effort of standing post meditation I survived. For a while I felt a bit smug–through my discipline, my effort, my balls, I did it. But I don’t know–all these years later that figure who tossed me the rag, indicating there was more cancer to come and it was going to be up to me–I just don’t know. Maybe the deck was stacked.